Molten Gold
by Wandering Mavka
Summary: Edward is taken back in time 417 years to Ancient Xerxes through the failed Gate that Father created in Gluttony's belly. He then meets a man named Eli, who strongly insists that he knows him, along with strange boy named Number 23...
1. False Gate to the Extreme

**AN****: I _sincerely_ apologize for the deletion of this fic. Silly, -amateur me, I didn't realize that I could replace content if I wanted to edit it... If you've manually searched for it all over again, then I'm most grateful to you, because it means that you're still supporting me through this... _2-year-long_ endeavour. **

**Just to let you know, I added some more content that was mostly inspired by my now officially-certified Whovian mentality. And _no_, unfortunately, this will _not_ be a crossover. I might make a few references here and there, much like Paolini in the Inheritance series did. **

**Now, if you're still not angry with me about the whole fic deletion thing, I urge you to start reading now... ;w;**

**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa. I'd probably ruin it if it belonged to me...  
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><p><em>This is bad; very, very bad,<em> thought Edward as he was hurdled through the vortex that was contained inside Gluttony's belly.

The first things that came to his mind were his brother Al, who may or may not have also been sucked in by the insufferable homunculus. He wondered why there was a vortex to begin with. _Bigger on the inside..._ seemed to pass through his mind ever so subtly.

_Just _how _big is this thing? _his thoughts screamed at him before his head began to pound excruciatingly. Next thing he saw was a bright light up in the path ahead of him.

"No! This can't be the end yet!" he shouted amongst the chaos. "I promised Al, that we would get our bodies back to normal together... EVERYTHING CAN'T JUST END LIKE THIS!"

His face became contorted in excruciating anguish as he thought of everything he and his brother went through together. Everything from trying to resurrect their mother to the pitiful sight of the human/dog chimera that was created from an innocent little girl, to Maes Hughes' murder. Then, Scar came to his mind.

Scar. The man who killed Winry Rockbell's parents. He was now on the run and out of his reach. Nothing could be done. Just as he was about to get back to reality, everything disappeared around him, leaving nothing but a vast, never-ending white...


	2. Seeing in Gold

"He's waking up,"

"Looks a little pale, don't he?"

"He's dressed funny, could he be foreign?"

Edward's head span and he felt groggy. There were unfamiliar voices around him that had strange accents. At last, he opened his eyes to find… several pairs of golden eyes identical to his, looking at him with concern. He felt his surroundings and was conscious that he was on a soft bed. There was a bowl of water beside him and Edward felt a wet cloth on his forehead.

The man nearest to him smiled in relief.

"There's no need to worry, you're going to be okay," the man said. Edward then tried sitting up, and winced at the effort.

"Hey, don't rush! You'll hurt yourself!" the man warned him. Whatever this man told him, Edward did not care. He wanted to know what was going on.

"Wh-where am I?" he asked no one in particular.

"You're in a local clinic, son," the man answered. He was now washing his instruments. _So he's a doctor_, Edward thought. "We found you lying at the side of the road." Edward wondered who 'we' was, then looked around, seeing a couple of teenagers helping the doctor out. He then became conscious of the chatter coming from the window and walked over to it. He could not believe what he was seeing.

The houses everywhere were made of white stone and were supported by pillars. All around were men, women, even children, clad in white linen tunics or wraps. They all had golden hair and eyes.  
><em><br>This is so strange..._ thought Edward. _Just where in the name of Truth am I?_

The next moment, Edward saw two guards dressed in identical white wraps, pulling behind them a pair of tied up hands that belonged to a young man who looked no older than Ed himself did. What was also striking about this man was the resemblance that Edward saw in him compared to his own, as if looking into his own reflection. He even had that same fierce, determined look in his eyes that he knew too well. Edward found it strange that no one was paying attention to the guards pulling him through the crowd, but rather minding their own business. There were even children that almost tripped him, crossing his path in their games. Just what kind of place was this?

The teenager soon became aware of the only pair of eyes that lay upon him. He looked over at Edward and his demeanor quickly changed to confusion. The guard that was pulling him then gave him a sharp, impatient tug and they were all swallowed in the crowd that lay ahead, the boy's eyes never averting Edward.

"So, where are you from? You're dressed kind of strangely, as my son had remarked earlier." Ed heard the doctor's voice behind him. He was not sure what to say. He needed to think carefully what his question would be, one that will not suggest his identity. Then again, this was a clinic. He could easily fake that he has amnesia, and be able to get his answers.

"Can I ask you something first?" Edward asked him.

The doctor gave him a funny look, and then said, "I believe you just did."

Edward sighed impatiently. He then decided not to have his temper get the better of him, seeing, as these were complete strangers.

"I was only playing with you!" the doctor exclaimed, chuckling. "Go ahead, ask away."

Edward hesitated, fearing what his answer will be. "Can you tell me - what year we are in?"

The doctor gave him another look, this time a concerned one. He then muttered, "_Amnesia_," and proceeded to answer Edward with a date that cast an expression of pure horror upon his face.

"Son, right now we are in the year 1497."


	3. Favours

Edward was in denial.

This should not have been happening. It was physically impossible for him to travel back 417 years into the past, and if that was the case, then he was certain that this was ancient Xerxes. He had already pinched himself more than enough times to tell himself that he wasn't dreaming, with his metal fingers, no less.

As soon as his surge of panic settled down, he decided to think of a way to get back to his trail of thought. Things are easier said than done, however. Edward racked his brains and tried his best to remember what happened before he woke up in the clinic.

Then, it hit him. That sensation he felt when he was being sucked in by Gluttony was similar to the one he felt when he opened the portal by doing human transmutation. This meant that... there must have been a similar way of getting out. He just needed some sort of inspiration to help him think. Anything would do; symbols, an equation, maybe even an alchemist...

A thought came to Edward's mind. He got up from his bed and peeked into the next room. The doctor was tending to another patient. It was best not to bother him now. He then decided that one of his sons would be best to get information from.

He found them huddled in a circle, one of them telling the others of how he fought off a pickpocket that tried to steal something from him. Edward cleared his throat loudly. The talking stopped and their attention diverted towards him.

"That was a fast recovery!" one of the boys said, "It's like you're made of steel, or something."

Edward chuckled to himself at the irony in that comment. He sat down and cut to the chase.

"Can any of you tell me, if there are any alchemists living in this region?"

The boys looked at him uncertainly. "Alchemists? You mean those people that draw circles and make pretty lights?"

As Edward had suspected, they had no fundamental knowledge of alchemy. "Yeah, that's pretty much them."

The kid that replied to him gave a sigh. "The only place where you're likely to find an alchemist is up in the palace in the next city. No one is allowed there, except authorized personnel, or the slaves that are rounded up to work there."

The last part gave Ed a little shock. "They have - slaves working for them?"

The sons stared at him as if he was crazy. "Almost everyone who's of higher class has slaves working for them here," said one of the younger boys. "I know that it's cruel, but that's just how things are here. But aren't you supposed to know this already?" he asked suspiciously.

Edward laid his head back on the chair. He had already figured out what to say to this statement. It was too simple. "You can just consider me foreign then, I guess." The youngest boy's face lit up.

"Ha! I told you he was foreign! Explains his clothes, either way..." The three sons voices then trailed off into idle chatter. Edward decided that there wasn't any time to be wasted. He needed to find a way home.

He stood up. The brothers stopped their chatter and switched their gazes at him. At that same moment, the patient that the doctor was tending to was leaving out the door. When he saw Ed, he gave a relieved smile.

"Finished resting so quickly? My, aren't you the feisty one!"

"To be perfectly honest, I wasn't even feeling that beat up," Ed replied. He figured that the less conversation he would have, the faster he could get to the next city. He looked out the door again, scanning the various people in the crowd. Hesitating a bit, he asked his next question with care.

"Do you know of a quick way of getting to the next city?"

The doctor stopped fumbling with his instruments and looked up at Ed, skepticism etched upon his face.

"Where did that idea come from?" he said. "A person in your condition would never survive through the streets of the capital city, let alone on the desert road to it."

Ed needed an answer, so he persisted on. "Can you just please, tell me a way to get there?"

The doctor sighed. There was no way of stopping this voracious young teen. "Go to the station just a bit north from this clinic, and you'll find public chariots available there. However, you'll need to pay in order to ride in them; therefore I will give you this for now."

He handed Edward a small sack that jingled as it was lain into his hand. "There are twenty-two gold pieces in there, so don't waste them. A carriage ride from here to Xerxes costs about twenty."

Edward was speechless at the generosity this man was showing him. He looked the doctor in the eyes with utmost sincerity.

"Thank you so much... for everything." The doctor gave a little shrug before replying.

"Hey, it's my job, kid! You think I like seeing little tramps like you lying miserably in the streets?" Chuckling merrily, the man put a hand on Edward's shoulder.

"Take care, kid. And good luck!"

With that, Edward gave the doctor a wave before running off towards the chariot station. As he watched the boy scurry off into the crowd, the doctor stood there for a moment. He then sighed reminiscently and shook his head.

"Boy, does he remind me of myself when I was his age..." he muttered to no one in particular, before finally retiring back into his small office, where yet another patient awaited his assistance.


	4. Chariot of a Stranger

Eli stood beside his horse Attila, drinking from his canteen as the beast happily enjoyed the few space of shade that he had underneath the station tent, waiting for the next chariot customer came along.

_He's coming now, buddy, and he's gonna be in for a hell of a surprise._ Just as he finished that trail of thought, Eli glimpsed a small red-clad figure emerging from the crowd in a hurried stride. _What did I tell you?_ He chuckled to himself as the young alchemist walked up to him, catching his breath. The boy steadied himself and stuffed his gloved hand into his pocket and took out a small sack that jingled as he raised it into the air in front of him.

"I would - like - a chariot ride to the next - city - " the boy barely managed to say through his panting.  
><em><br>This is going to be fun_, Eli thought to himself in amusement. "Looking a little windswept there, aren't we, Edward?" Eli said to the kid, who reacted just as Eli had predicted: he was dumbfounded.

"H-how do you know my name?" he asked, his eyes widening in confusion. Eli simply roared with laughter, and replied to him.

"Oh, we may have met on possibly more than one occasion, but I know you pretty well, little alchemist!" He clapped his hand on Edward's back and the boy's knees buckled.

"Ow, watch it!" Edward protested, massaging his tender spot. "What can you possibly mean by 'pretty well,' _sir_ - I haven't ever seen you in my life!"

"Don't worry about it, you'll probably recognize me pretty soon and I can assure you that you _have_ met me. Though I may have looked a little different at the time, I'm not particularly sure..." Eli faked a straining of memory before blurting out his next phrase.

"So you need to get to the next city, am I correct?" Edward nodded, still in a confused state.

"Then, forget paying - we're buddies, so I'll give you a ride as a freebie!" He then grabbed Edward's arm and sat him into the chariot, the young alchemist protesting all the while.

"What the hell! You can't whisk people like that! Can't you show some manners?" Eli tugged at Attila's reins as the beast reared into a run on the dirt road that winded to the right of the station.

"Eddie, from what I've seen, you and manners have a little restraining order set in motion!" Eli called back to the boy atop the crackling of the hooves. This was followed by a loud, "_Huuuh?_" from Edward, and then silence. Eli figured that this was a good time to make conversation with Ed, at least so that he would calm down.

"So, what brings you to the country of Xerxes, Eddie boy?" Eli called to him again. At that moment they were riding on a road that traveled amongst sand dunes. A squelching noise came from behind Eli in the chariot, which told him that Edward had become sick, which was normal enough. The boy was clearly not used to wheels riding on hard gravel. Eli looked back, concerned, as Edward emerged from the side of the chariot, his face now assuming a pale green hue.

"Ugh - you wouldn't believe me if I told you - urp!" He disappeared again as his body convulsed. _Ooh, this isn't looking good_, Eli thought, taking in air through his teeth.

"You'd better come up with a solution for that sickness of yours soon; this is going to be a seven-hour ride!"

"_Whaat?_" Edward screamed in desperation. _Should I give him a hint?_ Eli pondered, shaking his head in disappointment.

"You're an alchemist, aren't you, kid?" he called back, receiving a snort in return.

"Yeah, and your point?" Edward retorted.

Eli put his hand to his face in annoyance. "Then do something useful that will stop you from getting sick! Use your brain!"

"Use - urp - my brain? I can barely think clearly at this moment! Can you at least stop the chariot for a second?"

Eli did as the boy told him, and tugged at Attila's reins. "Whoa, boy." The horse neighed, skidding its hooves to a halt. When the chariot was steady enough, Edward emerged from it, swaying slightly to the side and holding the side of it to balance himself. Eli watched as the kid studied the ground on which he stood.

"This road..." Edward muttered. Eli smiled with satisfaction as the kid clapped his hands together and then touched the ground. The sand and rocks on the road then started to melt into a clear, transparent path of glass. Edward clearly made his estimation based on the length of the trip that Eli had told him, for the glass had stretched on for quite a distance as he gazed out into the horizon.

Edward climbed back into the chariot, sighing in relief in his small seat. "Remind me to transmute that gravel back to normal when we get there!" he called to the driver.  
>Eli sat into his seat and whipped Attila into resumed action with his reins, managing a nod at the young alchemist. The glass proved to be effective on a very high scale as the now-smooth roll of the wheels calmed Edward down.<p>

"You claim to know me," his voice sounded again from behind the driver's seat, "yet I don't even know what your name is."

"For now, you can address me as Eli. It's more of a sobriquet since I seem to go by different names everywhere, even though I still remain nameless..."

A low silence hung over both of them, and pretty soon a checkpoint was visible not far from where they were. Eli pulled on the reins once again beside the small booth as the man beneath it emerged, covered head-to-foot in linen cloth with a face covered in gold facial hair.

"Provisions?" he asked Eli. The driver nodded and revealed a small jingling sack from his pocket, presumably given to him by his last customer. He then exchanged it for a three-pound parcel wrapped in brown paper, which Eli gave to Edward in the back. The linen-clad man disappeared into his booth.

"Don't consume these all at once. We need them to last the rest of our five hours," Eli told Ed. The alchemist unwrapped the parcel curiously, seeing what kind of chow they had for the rest of their journey. Fish and dried fruit. _He looks relieved_, Eli mused to himself. The man at the checkpoint returned to face Eli, handing him two canteens that gushed with liquid at each movement. Edward's mouth began to water at the sight of them and he grasped the one nearest to him hungrily. Taking a long gulp of the water inside it, he then restrained himself, remembering the distance that they had yet to cover. All that he could do at this point was lie back and try to relax.

"The boy's an odd one," the man at the booth whispered to Eli, eying Edward suspiciously.

"No kidding," Eli replied with a chuckle. "_I can hear you, you know!_" came the outburst from Ed.

"Was it he who transmuted the sand on the road into glass?" asked the man.

"Yeah, the bumps on the road made him sick." Eli turned to find himself being glared at by Ed. He then simply returned the glare with a wink, to which Ed reacted by looking away furiously.

"Odd as the boy might be, he sure is quick-witted. This glass will make travel for others more efficient," the man remarked. Eli merely shrugged.

"Well, we'd better get going. Long road ahead of us," he concluded to the linen-clad man.

"I wish you the utmost luck," the latter replied. Eli nodded and then tugged on the reins for the last time. Attila reared himself forward at a healthy sprint towards the horizon which was now touched with hues of a blood-orange sunset over the dunes. The smoothness in the glass was as the linen-clad geezer said: a wonder to Ed's comforts as he nodded his head to an awkwardly-positioned sleep.


	5. Questions of Consequence

Edward woke to a breeze that carried small particles of sand tickling his face.

Opening his eyes, he saw ahead of him Eli still pushing the chariot on towards what was presumably the city of Xerxes at last, overshadowed by the green-pink twinge of colour that was peeking over the horizon. _About time_, he thought in relief. He would need to get to an alchemist as soon as he could if he wanted to get back to present-day Amestris and back to Alphonse's company. There was just the setback of how he'd be able to get into the main palace without seeming suspicious. This was something that he would need to think through. _Maybe Eli could lend me a hand in conducting a plan..._

Up to this point, Eli seemed like a perfectly normal dude, disregarding his apparent acquaintanceship with the young alchemist. Edward still didn't know how to make sense of that. He was sure that he had never met Eli in his life, let alone anyone who looked like him. His physical appearance itself was only recognizable to be part of the Xerxian age: a well-built body that looked like it belonged to a man of about twenty years of age and long golden strands of hair pulled back into a ponytail. Then again, Eli had said himself earlier that Edward apparently may have met him in a different form sometime in his life. He figured that he'd have to ask him about that later. Right now, there were more pressing matters that they needed to discuss. Even so, it still intrigued him how Eli was able to drive seven hours all the way through the night without so much as a blink - not that he could see it.

There was something else that Edward had to mentally slap himself for not inquiring about before. He knew from his studies in history that Xerxians had their own language when the country was still prosperous, and that Amestrian evolved from it. How then, was he able to understand it, let alone speak it for others to comprehend him, including that doctor? Ed figured this was the perfect time to voice his confusion.

He made a slight movement in the chariot, which caused a little clatter that caught Eli's attention, making him turn his head back.

"Have a good sleep, squirt?" Eli asked playfully. Edward's antenna-like cowlick instantly shot up, perfectly vertical, and his thought was momentarily lost.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BEAN SO SMALL THAT IT CAN BE DEVOURED BY A SINGLE-CELL ORGANISM?" he screamed in outrage; habitually, of course.

"Hey, hey!" Eli replied soothingly. "I never said that - and you need to stop overreacting every time people make those comments!"  
>At this, Edward slumped back into his seat, huffing spitefully.<p>

Seeing this, Eli tried to pacify him even more. "You didn't have a chance to answer a question I asked you yesterday before you had your sick episode."

Edward snorted. "I wouldn't have remembered it today," he replied.

Eli chuckled as he persisted on. "Which is exactly why I'm repeating it to you now." He was looking at Ed with pure glee. Eli was obviously enjoying this. Edward gave him a quizzed look, reflecting his own need to ask questions placed above Eli's.

"Anyway, all I want to know is what you're doing in Xerxes in the first place. That's 417 years before your time!"

Edward calmed down a little at the direction in which the conversation was going. "See, there was this homunculus named Gluttony that I was fighting."

"Oh, yes - that thing was a pain in the ass," Eli replied. This was becoming even stranger. How in the world did Eli know about Gluttony?

"Wait, you know it, too?"

"Yeah, its 'father,' as it calls him is a total cheater, if you ask me."

Edward wasn't sure how to make sense of what was just said. "What do you mean by a 'total cheater'?" he asked him.

Before Eli could answer, however, Attila was approaching the city gates at a swift pace. The guards that stood at their sides were each holding lethal-looking spears, which told that they're not ones that people should mess with. The carriage stopped in front of them.

"Morning, boys! I just have a young tourist in the back here, poor kid got lost so I decided to do him this little favor until his parents come to fetch him, if that is all right with you?"

Edward's eyes widened at the smoothness of that lie. He then remembered not to look conspicuous and retained his neutral expression.

"Yeah, whatever," grunted the guard on the left. "Just don't take him in any forbidden areas, alright, El?"

Eli nodded in reply and the guards opened the steel gates for them. Attila entered through them at his master's command and soon they were riding through what appeared to be the most colorful marketplace Edward had ever seen in his life. The chariot then wheeled over to a station at the side where others were placed.

As if on queue, Edward walked back to the gates and placed his hands on the ground just as he did the night before, making sure that nobody was watching. The transmutation then took effect, rendering the sand back to its original state.

Edward stood back up in a satisfied stance. "Well, thanks for the ride and food, and everything," he said to his driver, forgetting again about his lack of information and letting his incentive to find an alchemist as quickly as possible take over. "I'd better get going now..."

"Oh no," Eli cut him off. "No way am I letting you wander around here and get yourself into shit. Which is why I'm coming with you."

"Ah, great..." Edward sighed. This was going to be a long, long day.

Eli paid one of the other drivers to watch over Attila for him and got out. At that moment, Eli figured that they were well enough out of earshot for him to continue their conversation.

"In answer to your previous question, he goes against the laws of alchemy to make his creations."

Realization dawned upon Ed's face as he thought of the only thing that would have made this possible.

"Does he - have a Philosopher's Stone?" he proceeded cautiously.

"Something like that," came the reply. "More so, actually." Eli then stopped at a wooden bench at the edge of the bazaar that preceded a crossroad.

"We should sit down here for now," he said. "It'll be easier for us to talk." Edward did as he was told and set himself down on the stone that emitted heat after basking in the light of the midday.

"I have a question now, Eli," Ed vocalized again. "How is it that I'm able to understand the Xerxian language, and everyone else is alternatively able to understand me when I speak Amestrian?"

Eli grinned at the boy's insight. "That, my friend, is simply an after-effect of the fake-Gate that you came through. Because you landed in this particular location, even though it may have been temporary, the Gate's imitation must have delved into your brain and matched the speech patterns with your resulting environment."

Edward looked at Eli in astonishment. If this man can know as much as he had just displayed at this moment, then how much could he really know?

"Hmm... that is actually pretty interesting. That fake-gate, as you call it is sentient in some way, much like the original, then?"

Eli grinned more broadly at this statement. "Eddie, I swear your mind is pure genius! That is very correct. Since the Gate itself represents all of space and time in this universe, then it can very well have a mind of its own."

"But why did it bring me here, though?" Edward asked with a frown. _Really_, he wondered. _What _is _the point to all of this?_

Eli replied to him with a wistful smile. "Now that, Ed, is something that you have to figure out on your own." He leaned back against the bench and stretched his arms out.

Edward raised an eyebrow. It was strange how the words that came out of this guy's mouth could manage to stream from total colloquialism to something that one would find inside a fortune cookie. He persisted with one last question.

"Eli," he muttered.

"Hm?" came the bored reply.

"Who exactly are you to know these things?"

Eli looked at him pleasantly. "Now _that_ would also spoil the surprise, wouldn't it, Eddie?" he asked with that annoying, cryptic smile.

Edward was now feeling much like a mouse trapped in a box. He did not like being kept in the dark, and Eli's persistent, annoying mystery about the situation was doing him no favours. He wanted to get back home. Nothing that they were doing at this moment helped in the slightest.

As if having read his thoughts, Eli suddenly spoke up again. "Now, let's get back to business, shall we?"

Edward turned back towards him with a hopeful expression on his face. "Yeah, and what's that?"

"Oh come on, Ed," Eli said with an exasperated look, "do you really want to spend the rest of your young, pathetic life in 1457?"

Ed's eyes lit up. "You mean, you can get me back?"

Eli's own eyes widened in alarm as he clarified with a slight urgency in his voice. "Oh no, no, no. Not me, I'm only allowed to help you through little, trivial things. I can't fully transport you back to your own time. As I said before about the reason why you're here, it's something you'll need to figure out yourself in time. I'm reduced to being a mere observer, and the occasional source of information that you may need at given times." He sighed as his speech was concluded.

"So, got any ideas of your own?" he asked the young alchemist.

Ed's eyes glazed over in determination as he lowered his head. "I have to find the right equation to get myself back, don't I?"

Eli nodded slowly.

"Then I must find it using the most reliable, although tedious method used by all alchemists to look for answers without interferences from others."

Eli gave him a pointed look. "And what would that be?"

Edward looked back at him plainly, as if his own answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Research, of course."

Eli winced this time, hissing air in through his teeth. "Yeah, you've got a teensy little thing that is flawed with that plan."

Ed's face became slightly contorted with irritation. "Which is..."

"Knowledge and information isn't exactly given around freely here, you know. Especially with commerce being one of the dominant aspects of this society."

"I've considered that, believe me," Ed replied impatiently. "I've also been told by a doctor I met at the clinic in which I woke up that there are alchemists who live in the palace at the center of the capital city. There's bound to be a library if they've got alchemists positioned there."

"Must I remind you that only authorized personnel are allowed in the building?"

Edward sighed mournfully. "I know, I know. I just thought... I'd be able to somehow get around that by the time I got here. Seems I was mistaken..."

Eli bent his head down a little, eyebrows narrowed in concentration. "Hmm... you haven't thought about disguising yourself, have you?"

Edward snorted skeptically. "Yeah, and the officials in the palace are going to buy the fact that someone they've never seen around these parts is suddenly joining their force... I don't think that they're that gullible." Ed looked over to Eli, who was giving him a strangely amused look.

"I never said that you'd have to disguise yourself as an official, Ed." The young alchemist was beginning to see what Eli was implying and became worry started to take over him.

"W-what are you suggesting?" he asked cautiously, though knowing fully well what the answer will be.

"Squirt, I'm suggesting that the only guise you will be able to pull off if you're unknown to everyone is a slave."

Ed's spirits sank as he heard the words come out of Eli's mouth. "Then let me guess..." he muttered in annoyance. "You're going to be my trader?" he looked up at the man, whose face reflected pure glee.

"Hehe, yep." came his reply. Edward was overtaken by mental exhaust at this point. Suddenly, a though came to his head. Maybe this plan might not work after all, he thought with relief. He then cleared his throat before addressing Eli again.

"Eli - uh, there's something that might totally blow my cover. Something obvious that we're completely and foolishly ignoring."

Eli looked at him in mild interest. "Really, and what's that?"

Edward pulled back his right sleeve to reveal the metallic glint of his automail arm.

Eli then grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his ear. "Whoops, totally forgot about that. It would definitely be a dead giveaway, now that you mention it."

Edward nodded in agreement. "Unless..." Ed looked up to see that Eli was deep in thought again.

"Stretch out your automail arm for me for a sec," he said finally. Edward obeyed, pulling his sleeve back again. Eli put a finger on the shoulder, where the nerves were connected with the wires in the automail, and another at the tip of Edward's middle finger. Ed was lucky that the people around them gave the booths at the market their full attention, otherwise him and his strange partner would have been singled out almost immediately.

"We need to move now. Come," Eli said after finishing his apparent measurements of Ed's arm. The latter then pulled his sleeve back over his arm.

Eli stood up from the bench, looking towards the people who passed them. He then beckoned Ed to follow him as he then ran along the road that crossed the main path that led to the palace. They soon came to an alley, which was thankfully deserted and Eli finally stopped, waiting for Ed to regain his breath.

"Ed, I'll have to ask you to give me your right arm one last time," he said after Edward finished panting. "Remember when I told you that I'm only allowed to be of any help in certain cases?"

The young alchemist nodded.

Eli scrutinized him warningly as he spoke his next words. "Then consider this my second favour to you, my first being the freebie trip by carriage that you decided to take here. Now, arm."

Ed did as he was told and saw why Eli had dragged him over to this deserted area. He placed his hands on the metal structure in a soft clasp and then he did something that left Edward standing there, dumbfounded.

There was a spark, the kind that appeared when an alchemist performed a transmutation. However, somehow this one wasn't the usual cobalt-blue color that Ed had expected. No, this one was gold. _Now _there's _something to add to their gold eyes and hair_, Edward thought grimly. When the sparks cleared, Edward was looking at his arm, good as new. There was just one problem - he couldn't feel it despite the skin on it looking perfectly accurate.

Eli then interrupted his thoughts as he stared at the arm in confusion. "Don't get your hopes up, kid; this isn't your real arm," he told Ed, who moved his gaze back to the young man standing before him. "It's just a skin glove that I created to conceal your prosthetic arm so that you can avoid suspicion," he continued.

"But, how - "

Eli cut him off quickly. "I already told you that I can't reveal too much. I'm a spectator, remember? For now, I suggest that you just do what I say and you'll be fine."

Edward frowned. He didn't like where this was going. Sighing, he thought, _Might as well carry out the plan. I currently have no other options at this moment, and I doubt that I'm going to get any more out of Eli than I already have earlier..._ Edward then acquiesced his head towards Eli.

"I'll do what you say... just don't expect me to be happy about it." Eli then flashed a thousand-watt grin at him, victory dancing across his face.


End file.
